Being an entrepreneur can be exhausting. It’s very demanding
of your time and in order to build a successful business you have to go all in
and dedicate your life to it. Sometimes the hectic schedule causes you to put
some things on the back burner, including your health, fitness and well-being.
Well, it doesn’t have to be like that. It’s important that
you don’t neglect your health, All the success in the world is irrelevant if
your health is compromised.
There are several little things you can do to help maintain
a healthy lifestyle, no matter how busy you are. We spoke to some very busy
individuals to get their suggestions for maintaining a healthy lifestyle along
with a non-stop busy schedule. Here are some ideas that you should consider
adapting and trying out yourself.
Understand that sleep in
vital and get enough every night.
“There is always talk about working long hours and not
sleeping. It’s almost glorified within the business world, but this mentality
will actually lower your performance. You need to get sleep every night, and
doing so will make you much more productive.
If you are running low on sleep you will be sluggish, and
your performance will suffer. Everyone is different. Some can perform great on
five hours, while some need a full eight hours. Figure out what your optimal
sleep time is and make sure you get it every night. Don’t be afraid to go to
sleep early or sleep in. Do whatever it takes to get your rest.” – Christopher
Kerr, VP Marketing at Earnhardt Lexus
Take supplements daily.
“You need to make sure you are getting the right combination
of vitamins and nutrients every single day. Sometimes it’s not possible to get
them in all via regular meals, so supplements are a great alternative. You can
have your doctor run a test to see what you are missing, and look for
supplements to help you get your levels up.
This can improve your health, energy levels and also help
combat colds. The last thing you want to do is have to miss work because you
are sick. Keeping your health at a high level gives you so many benefits, and
it’s easy to accomplish by taking supplements that are readily available at the
grocery store.” – Chad Gaynier of Clarity
Clinic
Prep your meals in
advance.
“The worst thing you can do is eat out every meal and opt
for fast food. While convenient and quick, it’s a health nightmare. Processed
foods are filled with horrible stuff that you should avoid at all costs. It’s
not hard to eat clean if you are willing to prepare in advance.
Set aside a couple of hours every Sunday to prepare and
freeze meals for the next two weeks. When all you have to do is open the freezer
and grab a container it makes it easy. In fact, it’s easier than going to get
fast food and it’s 100 times healthier. Chicken breast, ground turkey or lean
beef and veggies is a great option.” – Michael Herron, Law Offices of Michael R. Herron
Track your daily macros.
“Think of what you track for your business. Revenue,
expenses, marketing costs, etc. Everything in and out is tracked. When you take
the same approach to your health and fitness you see great results. It would be
impossible to build a successful business without tracking everything. The same
logic applies to health.
Use an app like My Fitness Pal to log and track all of the
food you eat daily. When you set goals and track everything you can make sure
your macros are on point every day. This is how you lose weight, maintain
levels and see positive results.” – Paul Kelly, 247 CCTV Security Ltd
Stop sitting – get a
standing desk.
“Sitting at a desk with your back hunched over all day is
horrible for your health. They say sitting all day can contribute to heart disease
and back problems. Standing desks became very popular several years ago and
it’s a much healthier option.
Sure, you can lower it and sit if you have a conference call
or need to sit and focus, but when you are checking emails or doing other busy
work, raise it up and stand. This gives you the freedom to move around. This is
a much healthier choice. There are even optional treadmills to take
work-fitness to a new level.” – Hyung Park, President of Abraham Lincoln University
Dedicate an hour daily to
physical exercise.
“The hardest part about going to the gym is making the time.
In the end that is just an excuse, because if you really want to improve your
health you will find the time. You can carve out an hour before, during or
after work to go to the gym.
If you can’t get away mid-day or your evenings are full of
family activities, then you need to make the time in the morning. If that means
getting up an hour early and leaving for work earlier, then it’s a sacrifice
you need to make. It’s much easier to stay dedicated once you start to see
noticeable results. The beginning is always the hardest.” – Christopher Dziak,
CEO of Pure Nootropics
Learn to disconnect from
work at night.
“Stress and anxiety can play a major role in your overall
health. As an entrepreneur, you are always going to be faced with stressful
situations and a lot of uncertainty. The last thing you want to do is let that
consume you. If you let it occupy your mind 24/7 it will really impact you
negatively.
The best thing to do is learn to leave work related stress
at the office and disconnect in the evening. It’s going to be there when you
get back in the morning. Spending time with family and friends and not
discussing or thinking about the business is very healthy. It can be difficult
to separate work and home, but once you figure out how to best disconnect you
will learn to appreciate the time away.” – Ignacio Soria, CEO of Cann & Co.
Cut out soda entirely.
“Transforming your diet is not always easy, but there is one
thing you can do that produces fast and amazing results. Simply eliminating
soda and replacing it with water will boost your energy levels, reduce
sluggishness, make your skin healthier and result in weight loss.
Many people assume that ‘diet’ soda and ‘zero calorie’ soda
is healthy and the same as water. It’s not. The chemicals and additives in them
are horrible for you and they cause you to retain water, among other things.
Eliminate it for 30 days and watch what that alone will do. It’s a great way to
kick-start a healthy journey.” – Tad Thomas, Managing Partner of Thomas Law
Offices
Create a schedule to
develop healthy habits.
“They say it takes 66 days to create a habit that becomes
automatic. The only way you are going to stick to a routine for that long is to
create a schedule and follow it exactly. You have to be committed, but you also
need to set up your schedule in a way that works for you. If you have a
schedule that will not be easy to follow every day you are setting yourself up
for failure.
Everything, from when you go to the gym to when you eat your meals needs to be mapped out. You need to create a schedule that you can easily follow day in and day out. Make it realistic, or you will not succeed. Once your routine develops into a habit it becomes easier, but the first couple months will be the hardest, so set yourself up to succeed.” – Pat Skinner of AnswerFirst
Find an accountability
partner.
“One of the best things you can do if you decide to pursue a
healthier lifestyle is to find someone that is also willing to take the journey
with you. Having an accountability partner helps you both stay on track. If you
are frustrated you can keep each other motivated and simply texting back and
forth can keep motivation levels high.
It also reduces the chance of you cheating on a meal or
skipping a gym session. Not only do you not want to let yourself down, but you
don’t want to disappoint your accountability partner. You can leverage this
relationship to push each other to new levels. It’s much easier to deal with
the beginning stages when you can talk to someone who is also experiencing the
same thoughts.” – Chris Moberg, President of Slumber Search
